Beryl Patmore
Beryl Patmore is the cook at Downton Abbey and she believes that she runs the house, although Charles Carson and Elsie Hughes beg to differ. She is forever ordering about Daisy Mason, her assistant cook. Biography |-|Early Life= Early life Beryl mentions having two sisters, one who died prior to 1912 and another, Kate Philpotts, who is her nephew Archibald's mother. |-|Series 1= 1912-14 Mrs Patmore runs her kitchen under tight control. Daisy is always trying to prove herself and wants to be allowed to have greater responsibility, but Mrs Patmore doesn't think that she is ready. She tries to hide her deteriorating eyesight by having Daisy read her a new recipe and blaming any mistakes on Daisy, but her secret is exposed when she accidentally puts salt on the pudding instead of sugar. Robert Crawley decides to send her to a London eye specialist at Moorfields Eye Hospital for surgery to fix her cataracts. Isobel Crawley's cook, Mrs Bird, is brought in as a temporary replacement, but Mrs Patmore fears the family will prefer Mrs Bird and decide to keep her. She asks Daisy to sabotage Mrs Bird's meals to prevent this from happening. This scheme is revealed when Daisy puts soap in the soup she thought was for the family. Fortunately this was soup for the servants and not for those upstairs. When Mrs Patmore returns, she and Mrs Bird find themselves in agreement, as cooks, in their common desire to be in charge of their kitchen's stock without having to answer to a housekeeper. |-|Series 2= 1916-19 During the war Mrs Patmore finds out that her nephew, Archibald Philpotts, has gone missing at the front. Wanting to know more, she appeals to Lord Grantham and discovers that her nephew was shot for cowardice. Ashamed, she does not tell anyone, except in an attempt to comfort Henry Lang, who suffers from shell shock. Without knowing that this is a secret, he announces it to the other servants. Ashamed, Mrs Patmore runs off crying. Thomas Barrow tries to become a black market goods supplier, and Mrs Patmore agrees to buy from him if a cake made by Daisy using his samples show good quality. Unfortunately for Thomas, the goods are either fake or adulterated and Mrs Patmore will not be buying from him. |-|Series 3= 1920 Daisy wants to be promoted from kitchen maid to assistant cook and Mrs Patmore promises her support in requesting a new kitchen maid. Alfred has been hired as the new footman and Daisy angrily confronts Mrs Patmore with the fact that they were promised a new kitchen maid. Mrs Patmore explains to Daisy that Lord Grantham has refused any new staff, and she doesn't know how Mr Carson was able to manage a footman. She tells Daisy that she must be content with her title promotion and raise. Thomas advises Daisy to go on strike, but Mrs Patmore ignores her and carries on until Daisy gives up. Mrs Hughes finds a lump in her breast. Mrs Patmore confirms that it is a lump and, the next day, accompanies her to her to the Downton Cottage hospital to see Dr Clarkson. Mrs Patmore is concerned that the test to draw fluid from it will hurt. She tries to comfort Mrs Hughes in her fears that it may be cancer. There is an important dinner party and Mr Carson is demanding of Mrs Hughes. Mrs Patmore almost blurts out the she is not well. Later, Mrs Hughes forbids her to tell Mr Carson about her possible illness. The range is smoking badly and the chimney is not drawing. Mrs Patmore thinks at first that the wind may be blowing in the wrong direction and that it needs to be raked, but when it finally goes out completely it is obvious that the chimney flue is blocked and Mrs Patmore sends word up that nothing is cooked for dinner. Subsequently the larder must be stripped for an impromptu indoor picnic, but Mrs Patmore tells Mrs Hughes that she has held back a veal and egg pie for the servants' dinner. When Mrs Patmore and Mrs Hughes discuss their anxiety at the time the medical test is taking place, Mr Carson overhears them. Later Mr Carson gets Mrs Patmore alone and admits that he has spoken to Dr. Clarkson. He gets her to tell him that Mrs Hughes may have cancer by tricking her into thinking that Dr. Clarkson had already told him everything. Alfred tries to ask Daisy to eat in the main servant dining room, but Carson says that Daisy and the other kitchen maids eat in the kitchen with Mrs Patmore. Mr Carson's concern has made it obvious that he knows, and Mrs Hughes confronts Mrs Patmore who lies and says that he must have picked it up somewhere. Mrs Patmore again accompanies her back to the doctor for the test results, and, as per Mrs Hughes' instructions, subsequently lets Mr Carson know that it is not cancer. When Daisy tells her Mr Mason wants her to come live at his farm because he wants to name her his heir, she compliments her on the generous offer and is happy for Daisy, but also sad that she might leave. After repeated delays a new kitchen maid, Ivy Stuart, joins the staff. Alfred and new footman James continually loiter in the kitchen talking to Ivy and Daisy. Mrs Patmore is always shooing them out of the kitchen when things need to be done. When Alfred sets eyes on Ivy, sparking Daisy's jealousy, Mrs Patmore advises her not to treat Ivy so harshly as she has done. She tells Daisy that being mean to Ivy will not make Alfred like her more. Furthermore, when it becomes clear Ivy has a fancy ror Jimmy that he doesn't return, Mrs Patmore says to all four of them that their problem is they are all in love with the wrong people. When Ethel asks her for help in preparing a meal for the ladies of Downton, Mrs Patmore agrees to help Ethel, in defiance of Mr Carson's orders that no one from downstairs see her or go to Crawley House. Cora says Mrs Patmore has "a good heart and does not judge" after Robert storms in to the luncheon, after Mr Carson tells him about Ethel preparing the meal. 2012 Christmas Special Jos Tufton, a new Downton supplier, begins courting Mrs Patmore and asks to "squire" her around the Thirsk fair. He asks her to marry him, but Mrs Hughes has observed his womanizing ways and informs Mrs Patmore. She is actually relieved, because she had not wanted to marry him. They believe that it was her cooking skills that he was really after. |-|Series 4= 1922 Mrs Patmore is suspicous of the new modern cooking equipment Daisy starts using, but clearly still cares for her. When Valentine's Day comes along, she sends her an anonymous card. Daisy at first thinks Alfred sent it, but after the truth comes out, Daisy is grateful she has a friend in Mrs Patmore even if she has no admirer. When Alfred considers leaving Downton to pursue his dreams of becoming a chef, Mrs Patmore tells Daisy it is probably good that he goes, because she has been in a one-sided love for too long. Mrs Patmore, in Thomas Barrow's words, is not a futurist, as she frequently resists new technologies downstairs: when Daisy starts using an electric mixer, Baxter a sewing machine, and when Lady Grantham decides to have a refrigerator installed in the kitchen. |-|Series 5= 1924 Mrs Patmore supports Daisy in her quest to become better and hires Sarah Bunting, a local mathematics teacher at Downton School who is also Tom Branson's friend, to tutor Daisy in her studies. She later writes to Mr Mason to encourage her to continue with her studies when she becomes disheartened. She receives word that her nephew's town, like Downton, is erecting a war memorial for the local soldiers who died, but her nephew is to be left off the memorial because he was executed for deserting his post. Mrs Patmore is hurt by this, and appeals to both Mr Carson and Lord Grantham for help, citing Archibald signed up at once to fight. Carson insists it would be unfair to those who died and did not desert. Heartbroken, Mrs Patmore decides to not attend the unveiling of Downton's memorial. Lord Grantham nevertheless asks her to come, and reveals he commissioned a plaque for her nephew's remembrance outside Downton's memorial. Mrs Patmore is deeply touched by this, and says her sister will be happy to know of it. Daisy, continuing her studies, contemplates leaving to get a job in London. Mrs Patmore is unhappy with this, but after the memorial's unveiling she accepts it only to find Daisy has decided not to leave, at least not until after her exams. Personality She can be pretty strict when it comes to work, but has shown a caring and forgiving side at times. Relationships Daisy Mason The relationship between Daisy and Mrs Patmore is good; despite Mrs Patmore often snapping at Daisy and becoming frustrated with her, she does care for Daisy and vice versa. Together the two women can cook anything and are a formidable pair. An example of the care Mrs Patmore shows for Daisy is the support she offered in allowing Daisy to become her assistant cook and her support in Daisy's relationship - and later marriage - with William Mason and the father/daughter relationship with his father, Mr Mason after William's death. She also sends Daisy an anonymous Valentine's Day card to spare her feelings in case she did not receive one from someone else. Daisy is protective of Mrs Patmore as well, such as when she tried to sabotage Mrs Bird's dinner when Mrs Patmore was in London for her eye operation. Also Mrs Patmore, in a sense of mortherly love, hired Sarah Bunting to support Daisy in her studies. Quotes *''"No! Listen to me! And take those kidneys up to the servery before I knock you down and serve your brains as fritters."'' - to Daisy *''"I sent you for a drink of water, not a trip up the Nile."'' - to Daisy *''"Oh!…Judas was only trying to help, I suppose, when he brought the Roman soldiers to the Garden." ''- to Daisy *''"You know the trouble with you lot? You are in love with the wrong people."'' - to Daisy, Alfred, Ivy and Jimmy *''"Sometimes you can spend too long on a one-sided love."'' - to Daisy *''"Oh dear, have you swallowed a dictionary?" ''- to Daisy *''"No milady, I will go so far as to say that there is no food on earth that is supposed to look like that." ''-to Lady Sybil *''"A house of ill repute!?"'' *"Well, I wouldn't mind getting rid of me corset." ''-To lady Cora on modern conveniences *"Sympathy buttered no parsnips." '' *''"If you were my own daughter, I couldn't have been prouder." ''-To Daisy. *''"Oh, get off with you, you cheeky devil!"'' *''"I said ices, not iced cakes! Now get these to William before they turn into soup!"'' *''"Oh my God!" '' *''"I'm afraid that I must sit in your presence milord." ''-To Lord Grantham *''"Borrow? Were you planning to give it back?" ''-to Ms. O'Brien Appearances Notes * It is ultimately unclear whether there ever was a Mr Patmore, as "Mrs" is used as a courtesy for housekeepers and cooks regardless of whether they were or currently are married. However, in Episode 6.01, we witness a strained conversation between Mrs Patmore and Mrs Hughes — another holder of the courtesy title — about Mr Carson's likely expectations of her as his future bride. In that exchange, Mrs Patmore clearly insinuates that she has had no first-hand experience of married life. In Mistresses and marriage: or, a short history of the Mrs (PDF) (or http://www.geog.cam.ac.uk/research/projects/occupations/abstracts/paper25.pdf), Amy Louise Erickson states that "In the middle of the eighteenth century, 'Mrs' did not describe a married woman: it described a woman who governed subjects (i.e., employees or servants or apprentices) or a woman who was skilled or who taught". *In the companion book, "The World of Downton Abbey" by Jessica Fellowes, Mrs Patmore's kitchen is described as being hot year round. And a cook's day starts at 6 am, as she begins cooking the first meal. Between upstairs and downstairs, she must work 18 hours and make eight meals a day from scratch. * She may have been born somewhere between 1869 or 1870. * According to the non-canonical 2015 Text Santa, Carson describes someone as "kind and jolly and, in their youth had a substantial beard" and Robert replies that they "can't ask Mrs Patmore" 2015 Downton Abbey Text Santa References External links Patmore, Beryl Patmore, Beryl Category:Patmore family members Category:Cooks